Summer Brights

Bright candy pink and sunshine yellow were all over the designer runways for this summer. Both have definitely made it into the shops with most in store collections having items in these colours. They look great with white or cream which are also key colours this season. All suggested colours look great with light faded denim. Everyone should have at least one piece of true denim in their wardrobe this year! Remember to think about which tone suits you best depending on whether you have warm or cool skin. If the bright colours don’t suit…you can always opt for a muted or colour pastel version.

Spring 2017 is the season of ‘The Denim’: Denim is having one of its moments in time and a new pair of jeans is one of the easiest ways to upgrade your wardrobe. Be prepared as we are not talking stretchy skinny type jeans, oh no, they are now being put on the back burner.

We’re talking classic jeans, proper denim. The ones some of us have forgotten all about or haven’t even met yet. People have been wearing so many stretchy types of denim styles. I think that people have forgotten what it is like to wear real denim. Proper twill denim the type you have to wear in…and once you have you will never want to take them off. It’s not just jeans…its denim everything skirts, shirts, jackets and dresses. You can also have your denim personalized with embroidery and badges and patches

This time it is about mixing things up with different cuts, styles and textures. Embrace the Denim the style choices are amazing! You can choose from boyfriend cut….tapered, cropped leg, wide leg…time to be adventurous and break away from your skinny jeans! Let’s be honest we don’t all suit them!

Skinny jeans have been in fashion for so long most of us have forgotten or don’t know what 0ther trouser styles suit them. We have started to feel conditioned into thinking that we all look great in them and actually that is not the case.

Here are a few tips to help you Hour glass and pear shapes look great in high waisted wide leg jeans…these balance your thighs, make your legs look longer and emphasise you great waistline. Straights and Inverted triangle shapes go for boyfriend jean or a boot leg. If you have a wide waistline go for mid length shapes and avoid the high waistlines.

Valentino Gap Sea Ny

Michael Kors House Of Holland 7 For All Mankind

In my opinion it is always best to buy a good quality denim that will stand the test of time and not sag or go baggy. For a middle of the range price try Levis or Wrangler.

It is that time of year again when a T shirt is just not warm enough and you need something else to keep you warm. Put away your leather jacket or mac and go for the more casual bomber jacket.

This iconic jacket was traditionally worn by fighter pilots in WW1 with its cropped lightweight features it always pops up through time onto the catwalks and is embraced by the fashionistas world over. Some designers have taken it further and lengthened them almost to resemble oversized baseball jackets.

This season the bomber has been taken to the edge with flowered embroidery, bold prints and metalics. From soft silky fabrics to the shower proof nylon, it is a ‘must be worn’ this season. To be honest I think they are great pieces to have in any wardrobe as they are so versatile.

There is a bomber jacket for everyone this season. Lots of colours to choose from out there – black, khaki to bright or pale colours with minimal or printed designs. If you are narrow on the top, you can embrace the bright light embroidered, printed designs. If you are top heavy, go for the darker ones and a more minimal look.

I particularly like Gucci’s take on the bomber jacket this season with their use of metallic materials and choice of colours and print or embroidery detailing. I have fallen madly in love with Phillip Lim’s take on it and Todd’s…having said that minimal does look better on me. Chloe and Yves Saint Laurent have done really lovely colour combinations with their printed and embroidered versions.

Top Shop and Zara are definitely the best High Street ones I have seen and Other Stories do a great plain white one which is lovely and fresh looking. Most of the High Street jackets start from 49.00 to about 30.00. Most of the ones I seemed to look at were priced at £59.99 but I have price days like that…everything I pick up that day is the same price. Miss Mango have a leather baseball style jacket and also look in H&M for leather bomber.

Go on treat yourself to one…here are list of the best ones out this season. These are but a few as there are so many great ones out there!Click Centre To Enlarge

Stripe It Lucky This Summer!

Spring is here again and one of this year’s trends is definitely the stripe. Whether it is big, bold, horizontal or vertical they are definitely here. Some are with hot shocking colours, others in patriotic red white and blue. Stripes this season are found in knitwear, dresses, skirts, shirts and trousers they are everywhere. And if you are not comfortable wearing them in your clothes you can have stripes on your bag or shoes. This Spring/Summer there will be no getting away from stripes; they were all over catwalks and have now reached the shops.

What is important is how you wear your stripes as they can elongate, squash and or make you look wider or narrow. So it is important that you are wearing the right type of stripe in the right place and the right kind of stripes for your bodyshape. For example a small person wearing vertical stripes will make them look much taller. Similarly if you are broad (shoulder, waist or wide hips) wearing head to toe horizontal stripes will just make you look wider.

Here are a few tips on how to wear stripes for certain figure shapes

Pear Shaped

As your shoulders are the narrowest part of your bodyshape, wearing horizontal stripes across the shoulders will give the illusion that your shoulders are wider vertical lines in a skirt would look great as they create length and slim the hips. Wearing vertical stripes on your bottom half, when wearing trousers will again lengthen the legs and slim the hips.

Hourglass

It is all about the waist, make sure you enhance your waist whether you are wearing vertical or horizontal stripes. Vertical lines are a great way of narrowing your bottom half and making your legs look longer. Avoid wearing vertical lines on your bottom half if the stripes start to loose their shape.

Straight

You can embrace the stripe with vigour but avoid wearing tight horizontal lines around your waistline as this will emphasise its width rather than make it look slimmer. Try diagonal stripes coming in the at the middle and pointing up making your waistline look smaller.

Inverted Triangle

Your shoulders are the widest part of your body, using vertical stripes is a perfect way to balance your top half. Avoid wearing horizontal lines on the top half as they will make you look even broader. Vertical lines on the top and horizontal lines on the bottom will give a great illusion of perfect balance.

Plus Size

To achieve a really good look try wearing block colour on the inside and jazz it up with a striped coat or jacket, or a long stripey scarf worn loose. If you are big around the middle tie your belts at the back don’t emphasise you midriff by wearing a belt around it.

Look Warm, Cool & Stylish

It’s the beginning of the Xmas season when we all start hooking up with friends for brunch or lunch and afternoon tea. It’s cold out there but you still want to look stylish, warm and sexy without looking like you have tried tooo hard. Wear something other than black for a change. Take a look at these chosen items that will help you to look absolutely fabulous!

Darlings enjoy your brunch or lunch and let the eyes follow you across that room!

Gone has the season of warmth to the season of keeping warm. And a good quality coat is vital to looking good and stylish as this is the first thing people see. Whether it is a smart or casual coat you will want it to last. Your coat and jackets will be worn a lot over the coming months and you want it to last and not lose shape and go shabby. If you have 3 coats in your wardrobe you will be covered for all occasions – an everyday one a formal one and a parka..If you have a warm skin tone like Hugh Jackman or Damian Lewis try keeping to warm colours. Your office coat could be brown camel rather than black or grey. It will look far better on you and it will not overpower your colouring and wash you out. A black, grey or navy blue coat looks much better on cool skin people like Robert Downey Junior, Grey or light navy blue coats for Ryan Gosling types. Wearing the right colour tones will add some colour to your face. Let’s face it we all need a bit of help in the winter to create a healthy glow.

Here are a few chosen winter warmers to wear for work or a play.

The Duffle Coat

It is quite apt that duffle coat is on trend this season as we celebrate the of the 1st world war centenary. Duffle coats were very popular among the British navy during that time. It is an easy fit coat, which goes well with a trouser suit or worn casual.

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1. APC 2. Paul Smith 3.Burberry 4. Raf Simons 5. Paul Smith

If you are extremely broad or carry weight at the front of your body then maybe go for a simpler thinner fasten design so as not to bring emphasis to this area e.g Raf Simons. Choose a short version to block this will also help. Keep the fabric plain.

Double-Breasted Overcoat

Double breasted coats are the perfect neat coat for your wardrobe. It is sleak, classic and looks great worn with a suit. It will protect your suit from harsh weather and keep you warm. Ideally it should finish between either at mid thigh or an inch above the knee depending on the style. There are lots of gorgeous colours to choose from this season.
Make sure your overcoat fits well and is agood quality, this is the item which is worth spending little more money on.

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1. Calvin Klein 2. MP D. Massimo Pianto 3. Whistles 4. Schott

Parka Jacket

So it’s a cold weekend and all you want to do is to feel comfy, warm and look cool. The good news is the Parka is still on trend. So if you haven’t bought one yet them maybe its time to think about it. This autumn/winter, functional clothing has never been cooler. They are more slimline than other quilted coats so you have less chance of looking like a marshmallow. It is a sporty look but it can look great with a suit if you you know what you are doing. If you don’t know what you are doing perhaps its a good time to book a Stylebug stylist to help you.

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1. Filson Waxed 2. Burberry Brit 3. Cahart 4. Gant 5. Moncler

It goes without saying that a great scarf and good quality gloves will finish your coat off!

This time of year we all start to think about what we need for our winter wardrobes. The shops are slowly stocking up with new seasonal items and the choice is endless. One of the most important items on your list should be a coat.

The Autumn/Winter 2014 catwalks were full of oversized coats in hues of blues, pinks and reds. And the high street have followed suit. If you are going to buy a statement coat this season, this is the coat. If you have a well defined waist wear it with a belt. Otherwise, wear it long and loose over jeans and ankle boots for an easy chic look. Other key looks were capes, chunky faux-furs, shearing coats or coats and jackets with a shearing collar

Belted Oversized Coats

If you have a defined waist wear a belt with your coat!

Selected Designer Oversized Coats

Marni Jil Sanders Maje

Selected Oversized with Belts

Adam Lippes Carven (also in pink)

High Street Oversized Coats

A coat is one of the key pieces of a winter wardrobe. You want it to look great and keep you warm right through until the spring. Coats that are on trend but poor in quality can start to look shabby and shapeless after a few months. I would definitely recommend purchasing a good quality coat. If you are on a budget save up and choose carefully.

The UK is definitely holding onto the lovely summer weather. This is the season for having special days out of town and making the most of the season. Get out there and do something different, Break that summer weekend routine in the local pub for lunch or sitting in the park. A change is as refreshing as a holiday. Whether it’s going to the seaside, a stroll around a lovely public garden or driving with the roof down to the country for lunch. A carefree summer’s day is a great opportunity to wear something fabulous. It doesn’t just have to be a “I don’t care what I wear because I am too hot” day. Don’t hold back feel fresh and free in a flowing dress or a onesie either in shorts or trouser style. They are so comfortable, unless of course you end up needing the loo in a field. This is when you could find yourself in a bit of trouble. No tree or cow will help you…it will be time to look for a forest for complete cover. “Lisa Showman”

We are well into the wedding season and I am sure many of you are running around stressing about what to wear. Sadly, most of us are not blessed with perfect proportions and have an hourglass figure that can make a dress from Coast look like a Valentino. If you have a figure like me with big boobs, small frame and a flat bum or no waist, finding a dress can be a nightmare. As my Grandmother used to say to me “when God was giving out bums and waists I contiued to stand in the boob queue for too long being nosey to notice”. And many of us stood too long in the bum queue doing the same thing.

For some of us trying on a dress is like trying to get an a triangle or an upside down triangle into an hourglass egg timer shape and feel comfortable. We can try and try but it just isn’t going happen nor look good! Luckily, these days we have bust and bum enhancers, underwear that controls our middle wobble. Unfortunately, they do not change our figure shape, pear is a pear, a straight is a straight and an hourglass is an hourglass etc.

So many people fall in love with dresses on the hanger and buy it without even considering whether the garment suits them…giving neither justice to their figure or the beautiful dress.

Then there are the other problems, like finding an outfit that doesn’t run the risk of being worn by another guest and to top it having the fear that they may look better in it than you do. That is when you are relieved to see the waiter with the Champagne to drown your sorrows. The other common challenge is to wear the same dress that you wore at the last wedding without being detected.

If you like to look original and don’t want to bump into someone wearing the same Ted Baker dress then make sure that what you pick isn’t the obvious prominent dress or print in the collection. “Lisa Showman”

Here are few example dresses that I have picked for each figure shape.

Stylebug aims to guide you through the world of fashion and style. Introduce you to new trends of the season and give you lots of fashion and styling tips.

It’s the end of April and it is time to look through your wardrobe and throw away those scruffy over worn jumpers, fluffy tights and thick holey socks. Store the good clothes away until November.

All the extra space you have made in your wardrobe can now be filled up with the new Spring/Summer items. There are lots of lovely things out there this season. From monochrome and candy coloured pastels to printed flowers.

Remember, it is important to choose your colours carefully and make sure they lift your face and not drain it of colour.